1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a development device and an image forming apparatus such as a photocopier, a printer, and a facsimile machine with a multicolor electrophotographic method.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional image forming apparatus having a plurality of development devices with a multicolor electrophotographic method, a toner is transferred to a transfer medium in the course of image formation while a toner not transferred to the transfer medium is collected as a waste toner by a cleaning device. The waste toner collected by the cleaning device is mixed of different colors of toners. Consequently, the collected toner is discarded without subjecting to recycling.
Generally, a conventional image forming apparatus includes a waste toner container storing a waste toner therein. For example, in a case where the conventional image forming apparatus employs a method using a transfer belt or an intermediate transfer belt in a transfer device, a toner adhered to a surface of such a belt is collected as the waste toner in the waste toner container, causing not only an increase in an amount to the toner to be discarded, but also an increase in difficulty of dealing with such a toner.
For example, Japanese Un-examined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-292366 discloses a waste toner container disposed separately from a supply toner container in each of toner cartridges detachably disposed with respect to development units corresponding to respective toner colors so as to reduce the above difficulty. Particularly, a size of each of the toner cartridges is increased, and the development units are disposed to have space therebetween, so that the waste toner expelled from the development unit is stored in the waste toner container disposed separately from the supply toner container in each of the toner cartridges.